Therapeutic horseback riding outcomes of parent-identified goals for children with autism spectrum disorder: an ABA' multiple case design examining dosing and generalization to the home and community.

The team used a multiple-baseline design with several autistic children.

Parents picked the target behaviors they most wanted to see improve.

Kids then rode horses one to five times a week while staff recorded the behaviors at the barn, at home, and in the community.

Seventy percent of the parent-chosen behaviors got better.

Children who rode five times a week improved more than those who rode once.

The gains stayed strong after sessions ended and showed up at home and at the grocery store, not just at the stable.

Cramm et al. (2009) ran an earlier randomized trial and also saw social gains after twelve weeks of riding, but they did not test different doses.

Chan et al. (2025) later looked at ninety-seven animal studies and found horses and dogs are the most-used helpers worldwide, placing this riding paper inside a bigger cultural picture.

Hill et al. (2020) swapped horses for dogs and saw only small, non-significant changes, hinting that horses or the riding movement itself may add extra benefit.

If parents ask about animal therapies, you can say more riding days per week gives stronger results.

You can also reassure them that skills can transfer to home and community routines without extra training.

Try adding a high-frequency riding block to your long-term plan and track parent-priority behaviors across settings.